Oh Joy. The 80s Live On…

Up on the Concert Log/Music link at the top, you can see the quick mini review of Fitz and the Tantrums at Irving Plaza Sunday night.
They were fantastic.
But that’s not what I want to talk about today.

There were two opening acts. The first was Ivy Levan, who, I’m sorry to say, we missed. She only did a twenty minute set, and dinner was too good to rush (duck breast! braised short ribs! warm lava cake!).

My hair is richer than silly old lava cake.

We got there in time for the second act, and that’s the lead in to today’s post.
Ahem…

THE 80’s ARE OVER!!!

I’ve seen Duran Duran. They weren’t bad, and Rio has surprising legs this far down the road.
I’ve seen Depeche Mode, and while they aren’t my cup of tea (industrial angst? Really?), they did put on a good show.
I’ve seen Kiss, Psychedelic Furs, hell, I’ve even seen Heart and Huey Lewis and the News, and enjoyed them.
All in the last decade.

And a lot of 80s music is fun. In small doses, even the syrupy stuff is nice.
But I’ve never seen one band encompass everything wrong with 80s music in one shot.
Until last night.

Their name is Hearts. I haven’t been able to find out anything about them online at all.
And while some may think I’ve been letting this one fester under my skin until I could write this down, fortunately I have “of the moment” proof, courtesy of twitter.
I’m not sure what burned me about this band. I think it was the fact that there was nothing original. Every riff, every trope, every move was taken from bands that did it earlier, smoother, better.
I felt like I was watching a cheap imitation of something that had earned its place in our culture, and doing a poor job of it.
So here now, are the as-it-happened tweets of myself and TMWGITU under her twitter handle @FredWallaby:

I hope this suitably expresses how god-awfully 80s this band was.
If not, I’ll see if I can’t get Phil Collins to lay down a track to describe it.
As soon as Marty McFly brings his synthesizer sustain pedal back in the DeLorean.

99 responses to “Oh Joy. The 80s Live On…”

Last Saturday we went to a fund raiser that had “80s prom” as a theme, so most of the music the entire night was from that decade. But the DJ didn’t play (couldn’t find) this one … I had a crush on this hottie.

Wow, I had no idea that the 80’s had managed to cast its terrible pall over so many young people! As a 20’s into 30’s young wife and new mother during that black hole of a musical decade, I managed to survive by listening to alternative garage rock and Sesame Street songs, both of which were far better than anything in the mainstream.
Sorry you had to endure this, Guap! Go find some Ramones or Sid Vicious or something.

Huey Lewis and the News played at a party I was at a couple of years ago. CNN put on a bash at the Hard Rock Cafe in Vegas and they were the band. It was great fun and the band was great. I think I actually enjoyed them more than in the 80s but the venue had a lot to do with it. I think they are doing the casino circuit now. Pretty much all those 80s people are so I am not sure why you would want to see or be an 80s cover band when you can see the real bands cheap.

I saw Huey and the News not long ago. He was playing all the music he wanted to play, and the crowd HATED it.
They didn’t applaud until he did all the hits duirng the encore.
Which is too bad. They put on a pretty good show.

Wow, blast from the past! “In the air tonight” was my song. But, truth… I was a late 80 more into George Michael, Michael Jackson, Ms. Janet, Madonna…loved Miami Vice. I’d still marry sonny crockett today. ha! to funny!

El Guapo – Phil Collins SUCKS – no wonder you are having a hard time with the 80s. But you failed to mention a lot great bands from that era – like the Dead Kennedys, The Clash, DEVO, and The Cramps, to name only a few. You just need to look in the right place – and Phil and Genesis are definitely the WRONG place.

Oh, no argument from me that there wren’t some great bands from that time, Rutabaga.
But they weren’t represented at all in the “tribute” this band was doing.
(And In The Air Tonight was really the only way I could drive home the point.

I have a friend who will never leave the 80’s….from hair style, to preppy collars and the music is a soundtrack to her life. I remember some music fondly but have nightmares of seeing Glass Tiger at our high school and the lead singer with a roll of socks tucked into his tight white pants. I may still need therapy!!

I do love me some 80’s. Of course. But really, the songs were about love, beer, parties, beer, beer love, loving parties, hot chicks…what can I say? They were not the whiny man-gina (said as jye-nuh) tunes we hear today. So much WHINING!!!! (and explains the drinking and relationship issues people in their mid 40’s to early 50’s have.) Will always love 80’s rock.

Ugh…one of ma DH ladies is STUCK in the 80’s and would have loved every nano second of this escapade into poop land. (trying to be a bit more lady-like. You like it?) Sorry it was terrible (the band, not my attempts at eloquence), but hopefully the rest of the evening wasn’t sucky!

The 80’s were all about the cover bands werent they? I didnt see any mention of howard jones.. I dunno the thing that is weird about the 80s is that so many of the bands are stil around its like….you cant get away from the 80s
…and really Guap…big hair bands …crazy neon fashion of which I have seen a disturbingly large amount of on the store racks….giving me hives every time.. 1985 -86.. I was 16..best year ever.but ya know thr music I was into then was 60’s and early 70s…I had someone tell me recently I woulda loved the 60s..and its true I have always felt a little misplaced but my second home …is the 80s lol… I always smile when a good 80s song comes on the radio .the music itself was not much in terms of … artistic substance what with synthesizers and stuff it seemed to be about the lyrics… take the words off an 80 song and see what ya got left… but I think its not so much the 80s as the band? Would you have thought them bettrr doing covers of todays popular or alternatively not mainstream bands?
Not calling you out ..the 80s rocked..lol..dont deny it..lol.. oh and TMWGITU is the same as fred wallabye? No way.. I totally missdd that lol.. 😉 hi to her for me pls. Rock on Dude.

I now know you had one of those Miami Vice jackets and two pairs of parachute pants (can;t touch this! du du nu nuh..) Dude.. I am impressed. that you even admitted it and I need to find Ginger to see if we can dig up any old shots of that for this years pic of the year (to replace Pete Rose and Liederhosen puleeaassee) ok so my friend and I called each other by our.. yuppie names and wore bright neon mismatched socks and omg …I was Buffy she was Muffy – hence the physical reaction at the neon jumping out at me t every store now… UG..but the 80’s were idyllic..(did I spell that right?) maybe just in that as a child it was a time to be unaware of the crap of life and the music reflected that …I think.. even the angsty stuff was… good and peppy ya know> you and TMWGITU should make a gig outta doing the ongoing critique of the show – that was great fun and you make a great team.. I know I will never look twice if that band comes here…thanks to you and her. 🙂

Well, let me ask you this – do you remember the Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, and Cheap Trick? Ok, of the three, I only saw one, and I was fifteen, so you can guess which one. And by the way, they are coming to Shreveport in September. Should I or shouldn’t I? 😀

You went all the way to Defcon Fughgeddabout It! on this one. But you probably created bucco searches for these peeps in the process. I know I’m gonna look…..And umm, what was wrong with the Bangles? I mean, besides the music?

I am just thinking of another crap band of the eighties, actually I think it was the mid part of the seventies and then just crawling into the early eighties after excuciatingly boring most of us to death, I say crawling into the eighties because they were that rubbish that walking, if it was possible for them would have to have been a knuckle scraping on the sidewalk kind of stagger due to their Neanderthal appearance and even worse, their BS musical talents.

Did someone mention that they could play their own instruments? NO… I do believe that they couldn’t even strike a note on a triangle or bang a drum without looking ridiculous but Guap, their singing was even worse, luckily there were a lot of incredible bands to fall back on during the mid seventies and early eighties but don’t mention that group again or I might have to fart in someone’s face over it 🙂 lmao

How do you mean who are the band that I am talking about? Well it’s the Bay City Rollers of course, an absolutely bloody terrible group if you ask me but then there was a big following from lots of weeny bopping lollipop sucking kids as I recall 😦 No idea what they saw in them though, perhaps they thought they could sing? 😦 Eeeeeeuw

Waahh! 80’s was absolutely my time. ooops! 🙂 What’s so wrong with Boy George and the Culture Club, Spandau Ballet, even the Sheena E.? Now, Karma Chameleonis playing in my head. I hope it does not bother me in my sleep. 🙂

This isn’t too bad. I suppose you could have posted Mickey by Toni Basil.
Of course, then I’d have to come back maybe with Motley Crue Smokin In The Boys Room, or some other ear-worm, and it would just be downhill from there…

I love 80s music and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I still play it on my iPod all the time. Duran Duran, the Police, Depeche, Echo & the Bunnymen, etc etc etc . I never heard of Hearts, though, and I guess I’m glad about that.